If this is not your first day of work at your first job, it is very probable that you have already heard about burn-out or might have even experienced one. Burn-out is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress and even the World Health Organization has recognized it and included it as an occupational phenomenon.

Burn-out should not be confused with stress because there is a significant difference. Stress involves too much: too many pressures that demand too much from you, both physically and mentally. However, stressed workers feel that if they could just get everything under control, they would feel much better. On the other hand, burn-out is about not enough: not enough motivation and lack of care about work tasks and challenges.

Dealing with burn-out

The first step in dealing with burn-out is to recognize either early symptoms of a burn-out or to accept the fact that you have already burnt-out and try to overcome it.

There is a popular "Three R" approach when you are dealing with a burn-out:

• Recognize - Watch for the warning signs of burn-out
• Reverse - Undo the damage by seeking support and managing stress
• Resilience - Build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health.

Recognize - Symptoms of burn-out

Burn-out is a very common and very serious problem in the IT industry. It all starts with a small episode when you have a lack of motivation and passion for working and eventually it progresses to the more serious state of complete loss of motivation and desire to work.

Every person is hit differently by the burn-out, but most of the symptoms are shared across many workers. To help you detect them, ask yourself:

• Is every day at work a bad day?
• Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
• Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
• Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
• Do you find it hard to concentrate?
• Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
• Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
• Have your sleep habits changed?
• Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints?

If you have answered "yes" to any of these questions, you might be experiencing burn-out and you should deal with it right away.

Burn-out can be caused by both your work-related staff and by your lifestyle traits. Not only are the workers who feel overworked and undervalued at risk of a burn-out, but also a person who has many out-of-work responsibilities.

Some of the work-related causes are:

• Unclear job expectations - if you're unclear about the degree of authority you have or what your supervisor or others expect from you, you're not likely to feel comfortable at work
• Extremes of activity - when a job is monotonous or chaotic, you need constant energy to remain focused through constant task switches, which can lead to fatigue and job burn-out
• Dysfunctional workplace dynamics - perhaps you work with an office bully, or you feel undermined by colleagues, or your boss micromanages your work
• Lack of control - an inability to influence decisions that affect your job — such as your schedule, assignments or workload.

Some of the lifestyle-related causes are:

• Working too much - without enough time for socializing or relaxing you will gradually feel less enthusiastic about work
• Not getting enough sleep - if you do not have a proper sleep schedule, over time you will feel more and more exhausted
• Lack of close, supportive relationships - when you do not have someone to talk to, it can lead to anxiety and feeling more stressed.

Reverse - Fight the burn-out

You have detected the symptoms of the burn-out, now it is time to fight it off.

Turn to other people

One of the first steps to fight burn-out is to turn to other people. Have you ever been in a situation when the problem you had seemed huge and unsolvable until you talked to someone about it? The same thing is with burn-out.

• Lean on your support system - You can do this by reaching out to your closest ones, to your family and friends. Explain to them how you are currently feeling, what problems do you face at work. Even just listening will be good enough for you to feel less stressed and more relieved. 
• Reach out - Opening to your colleagues and making friendships with them can help you feel more enthusiastic about your workplace. One of the best ways to bond with your colleagues is to talk to them when you take a break instead of immediately grabbing your phone and directing all your attention to it.
• Focus on happiness - Hanging out with people who complain all the time will only bring your mood down and make you feel more depressed. Limit your contact with people that bring negativity into your life.

Reframe the way you look at your work

One of the best ways to change your view about your work is to attach your work efforts to something you value. It can be anything that you enjoy doing. Notice how your work makes something in the world, the culture, or in other people’s lives better.

If you are having difficulties in finding value in your work, and switching jobs currently isn't the option, try to find satisfaction somewhere else in your life, outside your work. Spend more time doing the things you like, focus on the parts of life which bring you joy.

Reevaluate your priorities

Burn-out is a sign that something which is important for you is not working out as you wish. Take some time and rethink what is important to you and try to focus on accomplishing it. Learn to say no to certain requests and by doing this you will have more time to focus on the things you want to accomplish.

Disconnect

A great way to ensure some time for thinking is to take a daily break from technology. Every day, for some time put away your laptop and your phone and stop checking if there are any new notifications.

Also, to have a clear head when you are thinking about important things in your life, make sure to have enough sleep. You do not want to make important decisions about your life when your brain doesn't function well because you haven't slept well in days.

Resilience - Prevent burn-out

Prevention is better than cure. We must have heard this a million times and yet, we usually do not react until it's too late. When you start feeling or recognizing symptoms of a burn-out, that means it is too late and that you have missed an opportunity to prevent it.

Not only is regular exercise a good way to relieve stress, but it also gets you away from your desk and doing something other than work. Therefore, try to make exercise a priority even on days when you don't feel like doing anything. One theory says that physical activity triggers a release of dopamine and serotonin, which can improve mood. Also, over time, you will feel more energized at work and more satisfied with yourself.

Another huge factor in preventing burn-out is a healthy diet. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and minimize sugar and refined carbs. By eating healthy, your energy levels will rise, and you won't feel tired and sleepy after lunch. Eating healthier isn't the only part of the healthy diet, moderate consumption of alcohol and keeping away from nicotine and cigarettes also plays an important role.

Although it may sound atypical, several research studies have indicated that practicing mindfulness meditation can prevent burnout and this is something that is also worth trying as it can also help reduce stress and anxiety.

Takeaway

Feelings of exhaustion, anxiety, and isolation from friends and family members can be some of the signs of a burn-out.

Burn-out can be avoided by making self-care part of your daily routine.

It is hard to follow all the instructions because the day only has so many hours and it can be difficult to fit everything into a daily routine, but occasional fulfillment of the instructions is still better than none. Give it some time and you will be amazed by the positive results and improvements in your life.